Expressing Yourself is Key to Cultivating Peace Within

An amazing thing happened today with finger painting color and emotion.  Kids who were stressed about not being told what to draw ,about using crayons, went wild displaying emotion on paper.  Emotions such as sadness, excitement , silliness, despair, anxiety were depicted with blues, Browns, yellows, orange, in swirls, in drawings, in handprints, in a flowing fire.  It was so wonderful to give the space for this, to unlock expression and inhibitions and let art be a tool.  One camper was “not going to scribble with crayons” and at the end had hands like an avatar.  Art is in all of us if we just let ourselves express it! 
- Heather Clemons, Express Yourself Facilitator 

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